While some people have girls nights, I am lucky enough to have girls days. One of my friends came over last week and we spent a good part of the day together. During that time we watched The Lucky One, caught up on our lives and cooked together. It’s always fun having someone else in the kitchen who enjoys experimenting with flavors and food as much as you do. She brought the kale and I had chickpeas, olives and garlic. My friend is vegetarian so we created a delicious, meatless meal that we both enjoyed very much.

Sunflower oil (or oil of your preference)

Half a bag of kale, rinsed and dried

1 can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 small can of sliced olives

4 small garlic cloves, diceda

Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute

Fresh cracked pepper

Heat 1-1 1/2 tablespoons of oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until it starts to brown. Add kale and cook until it starts to wilt and turn bright green. Add chickpeas and olives. Season with 12 Seasoning Salute and fresh cracked pepper. Give a good turn in the skillet and serve warm.

A meal like this seems really simple, and it is, but the flavors come together to form a really tasty dish. It’s nutritious, healthy and cheap to make. For the skeptical meat-eaters I wouldn’t call this a kale dish. I’d call it a warm salad.

We had half a bag of kale leftover so after we ate we made kale chips. My love of kale has yet to dwindle. For a little leafy green, it’s surely versatile!

Since starting a gluten-free diet, I realized that my snack choices have become a lot healthier. I’m not that big on snacks to begin with. I love munching on fruit and veggies, although sometimes I do get cravings for something bad. I’m learning to attack those cravings with healthier options by determining what it is that I really want from them. The other day I wanted something salty and crunchy. I could have ripped into our snack drawer and stolen some chips from my husband’s stash (his junk habits are the worst and yet he remains a toothpick–I know, I hate him for that, too). Instead, I worked with what I had in our fridge and cabinet to make a healthier salty/crunchy snack.
I tend to stock up on canned beans just because I feel they’re a good pantry staple to keep for an added boost of protein in meals. I also almost always have lemons in the house. I took one can of chickpeas, rinsed them and threw them in my food processor. I added the juice of one lemon and gradually added extra virgin olive oil until the mixture became smooth. I seasoned it with salt, freshly ground pepper, and garlic powder. At the last minute I remembered that I had toasted sesame seeds in my cabinet so I threw some of those in as well.
Voila! Easy lemon hummus! I had a green bell pepper in my fridge so I cut it into strips and used some of the strips as dippers. Hummus is one of those foods that can be flavored in so many ways so you can play around with it. My hummus and pepper strips completely satisfied my salty/crunchy craving plus I snacked healthy and gave myself an afternoon protein boost!

Last night’s dinner was by far the best dinner I’ve made all week. I was flipping through the January/February issue of Food Network magazine and found two recipes that worked perfectly with what I had planned for dinner. One recipe was for spiced oven fries. These were the best oven fries I have ever made, although I did omit some of the spice. The other recipe was for a parmesan crusted chicken. The chicken was crusted with a mix of panko and parmesan cheese. Because I am trying my best to stick to a gluten-free diet, I ground up some Corn Chex to coat the chicken instead.

The Best Oven Fries

3 large potatoes, washed and cut into wedges

Salt

Olive oil

1 garlic clove, chopped

Oregano

Preheat oven to 450. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss potato wedges in olive oil and season with salt. Arrange on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes or until golden. Flip potato wedges and sprinkle garlic clove and oregano (about 1 teaspoon). Bake for another 10 minutes and serve.Corn Chex Parmesan Crusted Chicken

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray. Brush chicken breasts with olive oil. In a shallow dish, mix cheese and Corn Chex. Press chicken into mix and coat both sides. Bake 25-30 minutes, or until cooked through, and serve.

I modified both of these recipes to our liking. These are definite make-agains.

And so we come to the resolution to eat better after we’ve let ourselves derail from healthy habits during the holiday season. I made some changes in my diet right before Christmas so I didn’t partake in any Christmas cookie enjoyment. But I’m not so sad about that after making No Bake Chocolate Protein Bites with Pure Matters Chocolate Pea Protein. They’re made with all natural ingredients, are vegan friendly, packed with protein and taste like candy so they’ll satisfy cravings for sweets!No Bake Chocolate Protein Bites

⅔ cup organic agave nectar

1 scoop Pure Matters Chocolate Pea Protein

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

½ cup all natural creamy peanut butter

1 cup quick oats

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

In a saucepan over medium, heat the agave nectar, Chocolate Pea Protein and cinnamon until combined. Remove saucepan from heat and stir in the peanut butter, oatmeal and vanilla until completely mixed. Drop mix in spoonfuls in a mini muffin pan, pressing down on top with your spoon, and chill in fridge for 30 minutes or until hardened. Pop bites out of pan with a spoon and store in an airtight container in the fridge.